Forum: Are we better off now than we were 40 years ago?

Published 1:30 am Saturday, October 29, 2022

By Ron Friesen / Herald Forum

Is it safe to say that our collective confidence in our institutions, social structures and government bodies is at an all time low?

Think back 10, 20, 40 years ago (if you are old enough) and take this survey.

Do you think the following are getting better or worse?

Our economic system. Our law enforcement system. Our legal system. Our emergency and disaster response system. Our health care system. Our school system. City government. County government. State government. Federal government. Democracy. Freedom. Liberty. Women’s rights. Equal rights. Racism.

My vote is that they are all getting worse, and I bet you agree. The best thing about the pandemic and the Trump presidency is that the deep flaws in all these systems and norms, once camouflaged by our idyllic stupor, have come roaring out to confront us.

I don’t like it! I thought these problems were solved. At the very least, I thought we were well down the road to a shining future. I thought we had good systems and structures in place to take care of me and future generations. Now I am angry to have been so wrong!

What has caused this staggering loss of confidence in ourselves in such a short period of time? It is simple to state but hard to explain.

We are at the end of a cycle, which we have faced before, but is tumultuous and very difficult and chaotic. And what is more dangerous than ever in our lifetimes, is the vitriol and violence which is emerging, perhaps leading to our own civil war.

In our case The “Uncivil War” has already begun. How long will it be before words being hurled like bullets will be replaced with the real thing? I am still shaken by how close we came to that on Jan. 6, 2021.

And despite this unimaginable event, we continue to see political candidates spooling up the political vitriol as our election approaches. The message is, “We are going to hell in a hand basket, but I can save you!”

Well, first of all, we are not going to hell in a hand basket. We are at the end of a normal cycle where the old rules, laws, and ways of doing things are just not working. And the people in charge of administering all of these have doubled down to say, “It worked before, and if we just try harder, it will work again.”

Well, news flash: These problems never get fixed from the inside out. They only get fixed from the outside in.

My generation came through the Civil Rights movement, the military draft (like Russia is doing now) for our ill-fated Vietnam War, the Kent State shootings, the nuclear Cold War, Nixon’s Watergate debacle, among others. My generation worked from outside-in to put systems and structures in place in response to the chaos of these events.

My generation’s arrogance, however, assumed these problems were all solved forever. Well, guess what? They are not.

The problem being faced now, as back then, is the mistaken belief by those in charge that all will be well if we just work harder at doing the same old, same old. These people tend to be administrative types who focus only on process instead of outcomes. They believe that just “turning the wheel harder” will improve the outcome.

The truth is that the structure and process needs to change in order to change the outcome. But here is where the danger lies. If we yield our future to any “great leader” who promises to take care of us, we are voting for dictatorship and facism, not democracy. And who’s fault will that be? The great deceivers or the deceived?

We, the people, are the only ones responsible for our future. No amount of finger pointing will change that.

We have the ability to be informed more than ever in history. But we must choose to pay attention, carefully sift through the noise, be involved and to vote. It is a privilege hard fought for and earned by every generation. It must be earned again.

If we succumb to “great leader” thinking instead of thinking carefully and making up our own mind, we just become another North Korea, China or Russia. Think about who admires those leaders and why.

Ron Friesen is a longtime Marysville resident, a retired music teacher and community and church musician and is committed to community improvement.

Herald Forum

The Herald Forum invites community members to submit essays on topics of importance and interest to them. Essays typically are between 400 and 600 words in length, although exceptions for longer pieces can be made. To submit essays or for more information about the Herald Forum, write Herald Opinion editor Jon Bauer at jbauer@heraldnet.com or call him at 425-339-3466.